Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-16
heir fortitude by quoting from Virgil

j
This suffering will yield us yet .
pleasant tale to telD; but we found
that the NAL de mer was not to be ap-
peased either by counsel or quotation.
They continued to cling-as sea-sick
people always will-to the weather,
that is the wrong, side of the yacht,
regardless of the TACT that the man at
the wheel had already had his supper
We are now going at lively rate
down the channel. The lofty back
bone of Catalina Island looms up on
our right, and the flashing light oi
Point Firman is rapidly receding in the
distance. The stalwart -Four spent the
evening in game of whist, inter
spersed with thrilling sea stories about
voyages OH the west coast OF Africa,
and "reminiscences of cyclones, hurri-
canes and waterspouts in the Pacific
and the Atlantic.
After the game of whist, some OF
the Sixers, having discharged the
painful duties imposed upon them by
Neptune, felt strong enough to come
below. One of the stalwart Four, be-
ing a pioneer and in reminiscent
mood, asked Captain Mcfarland, the
owner of the "Aggie," if it was likely
that they should visit Lower Cali
fornia before returning.
That's Just as the crowd says" /"
answered Captain Dan. "We're well
provisioned, time was made for slaves,
but not for us, and if the party feel
like taking a slant to Ensenada after
visiting San Diego, all right; its a co.
"Well, boys, don't think it would
be judicious. l have horror of that
coast, and, if you don't mind, I'll give
you bit OF my experience OF it in the
days of 49,"
All hands wanted to hear the yarn,
and SO the old pioneer, after moisten,
ing his throat with a thin. n.bleful oi
Naglee's best, proceeded:
A PIONEERS YARN.
"You must know that very few
reached California in 1S49 without ex-
periencing trials and sufferings that it
took an indomitable purpose and a
strong constitution to overcome.
sailed from New Orleans on the 18th OF
February of that year on board the old
Morgan-line steamer Galveston, bound
for Chagres. There were three or
four hundred of us packed together
like herrings in that old tub. Well,
about week out, we found ourselves
in the Caribbean sea, with Cape San
Antonio on one hand and Point Yucca
tan on the other. We had divided up
into messes, each mess cooking for
itself ON fire ranges that had been inn
provised on deck. We were going
along nicely, on clear morning, with
the high land in sight on either side,
when all at once a suppressed eXplo-
sion took place. 1t shook the boat
like an earthquake. Old Josh Talbot,
now in dry-dock in Los Angeles
hospital, was one OF my mess, and
happened to be cook that day. AT
the time of the explosion he was fry
ing flap jacks at the range, and was SO
excited that he tossed the cake high
in the air, and cried out, "Boys, we
are goners." But Notwithstanding we
were "goners," Josh came to himself
quick enough to catch the fap-jack on
the turn as it came down. This fine
performance was vociferously ap-
plauded, Notwithstanding everybody
felt that serious accident had oc-
Cured. The old steamer came to a
dead stop, and it was soon known
that her steam-chest had collapsed,
and nothing was left for us but to
make for the most easily reached port
under the very insufficient sails
with which the Galveston was pro-
vided. A peculiar incident accom-
panving the accident was the fact that
we had not come to a stop over a min
ute or two before our vessel was sur
rounded by sharks. l never saw such
q sight. The vicious creatures were
around us by thousands. So thick
were they that they tumbled over
each other, and intersquirmed like
huge maggots in dead horse. Num-
bers of them were hit with rifle balls
as they exposed themselves out OF
water by climbing over each .ther
to get nearer to the steamer.
1t seemed as if they knew We
had met with an accident, and ex-
pected to be the recipients of deli
cious feast of human flesh. After ten
days OF drifting we reached the har-
Dor of Balize, in British Honduras.
We remained there several days, near
ly all the vessels in the harbor being
chartered to carry the great bulk oil
the adventurers to Chagl es. But
some of us thought we could get to
our destination more quickly by cross
ing the continent from Omoa, at the
head of the Gulf of Honduras, to Pu-
erto la Union, ON the Bay of Fonseca,
than by resuming the Chagres and
Panama route. So that seventeen of
us chartered little goeletta and pro.
ceded to Omoa, whence, with a pack
train, We started for the Pacific ocean.
We passed through the northeastern
portion of Spanish Honduras, stop
ping for a short time at Comayagua,
the capital of that republic, thence
to San Salvador and the town of Pu-
erto la Union. Here we found only one
vessel-a fine-looking brig, with rakish
masts and a suspicious, piratical sort
of an appearance. She had come
from San Francisco, and her captain
and crew treated us with a sulienness
that confirmed us in the belief
that she was engaged in some
kind of a contraband trade. We
were prohibited from coming Oh
board, and positively refused pas
sage to the Golden Gate at any
price. But there was one good thing
we learned from this vessel. Her
crew showed us lots of gold dust they
had brought from the mines, and con-
| firmed us in the fact-not very satis-
factorily settled before our departure
from New Orleans-that the newly
discovered gold mines in California
were extensive and rich. This made
us more eager to reach the land OF
promise. Captain Hammond and
thirteen of our party determined to
build ship themselves, and thus
solve the problem of reaching the goal
of our hopes. They actually did build
little fifteen-ton schooner, and rigged
her out with the assistance of the
commandate of the port-Jose Castro
who sent out runners all over the